Articles Posted in Slip-and-Fall Injuries

The elderly are prone to falls. They can be cognitively impaired and do not have the reflexes to catch themselves in such a way as to protect the brain from injury. There are both minor and major head traumas an elderly person can get following a fall. There has been a study of those who are 70 years of age or older and their propensity to fall. A total of 588 people were studied.

Mild injuries to the brain in the elderly can affect brain function indefinitely. In fact, in the elderly, having a head injury puts one at the same level as one with Alzheimer’s dementia. In the study, the participants received a Mini Mental Status Exam or sMMSE along with other clinical variables of health and wellness. Any fall was recorded over a 2 1/2 year period of time. sMMSE testing was done after each fall. The chances of a fall causing a cognitive decline were examined and the elderly person was studied for an additional 21/2 year period of time.

Kids are more likely than adults to slip, trip and fall (STF). This is because they are so gangly and don’t have the sense of balance that adults do. They have a tendency to impact the ground head first when they slip, trip or fall and it is common to have a cranial facial injury. In one study, they looked at kids who suffer from craniofacial injuries after a fall from the ground. Wound types and the type of injury looked at are studied according to the severity and mechanism of injury of the slip, trip and fall.

They looked at a total of 750 children who had an STF and sustained some type of cranial or facial injury with an imaginary line extending from their ears to their eyebrows as being the line between cranial and facial injuries. The children sustained soft tissue injuries like contusions, abrasions and lacerations. The level of consciousness was measured using the Glasgow Coma scale.

Falls cause the most injuries and visits to the emergency room with trauma than any other type of injury. It is the leading cause of accidental death in patients over the age of sixty five years. Mortality increases with age. Falls account for 70 percent of all accidental deaths in those patients 75 years or older. Falls are usually associated with a great deal of morbidity in the elderly. Ninety percent of hip fractures occur secondary to falls; most patients are over 70 years.

Experts believe that elderly people who fall need a thorough evaluation. There can be hidden fractures and underlying organic disease such as dementia that are the ultimate cause of the disease.

Post concussive syndrome is a bit complicated as there are a number of symptoms one can get from this disorder, including dizziness and headaches. These symptoms can be long-lasting and a person can suffer for weeks or months as a result of having this problem.

A concussion is actually a fairly minor traumatic brain injury, often the result of a motor vehicle accident or some other blow to the head. A person can have post-concussive syndrome even if they didn’t have a loss of consciousness at the time of the injury. The risk of getting post concussive syndrome doesn’t go up with the severity of the injury.

While playing and play are very important to the healthy development of kids, playgrounds can be dangerous places in which to play. Ideally, playgrounds are the place for motor development, cognitive development, the development of social skills and perceptual development. When they work appropriately, and with proper supervision, playgrounds can be a rich and vibrant place for kids to grow and learn.

Playgrounds, unfortunately, can be injurious or fatal to kids. The leading cause of injuries on the playground related to equipment includes strangulation on equipment. This seems to be more prevalent in home playgrounds and can be fatal. In non-fatal injuries, the most common injury type is because of falls. These tend to happen more commonly on school, childcare, park, or other public type of playground.

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